Today is the fifth day of my quarantine, and the third day without signal and isolated from the world.

Today, the community delivered supplies to every household. I saw several large trucks entering the neighborhood from the window.

Through the access control replay, I saw the contents of the supplies: a big bag of flour, a big bag of rice, some condiments, and some long-lasting vegetables.

I saw the staff linger at my door for a while, perhaps trying to confirm if no one was really there, but eventually they left. After all, if someone was home, how could they not accept the free supplies?

I saw the supply truck leave in the evening, and the main gate was sealed again.

Maybe everyone has plenty of supplies today, and by evening, enticing aromas wafted through the cracks of the doors. I also made a meal today, a simple dumpling soup, but it didn't turn out very tasty.

Because I didn't dare to cook with oil after almost choking myself the other day without using the hood, I have been boiling everything for convenience and safety.

I ate a bowl of dumpling soup with some pickled vegetables, and there should be enough left for tomorrow.

Without internet, I have no clue about what's happening outside.

However, with no internet, I have more time to think. After reflecting on the past few days, I suspect that the neighbors weren't having a party that night. Coupled with the things carried out in the middle of the night, I suspect someone upstairs might be infected.

The citywide blackout is probably to prevent panic. Our government must be working hard in the shadows to investigate!

After all, pandemics and zombie viruses are different. Although people in shows always talk about blowing zombies' brains out, in reality, it would only cause panic and lead to complete chaos.

Thinking about this, I suddenly found myself rather calm. Maybe I still have a chance to survive if it comes to the end.

This thought made me laugh out loud.

If things really became irreversible, dying would be better; living through it would be too painful.

Today is the 15th day of my quarantine, and it's raining today.

There's a saying that an autumn rain brings a chill, but this isn't autumn rain, it must be winter rain!

The indoor temperature has dropped to 12 degrees Celsius, so I've put on thick clothes.

Seeing that it was getting cloudy and about to rain a few days ago, I stocked up on drinking water at home.

Because countless novels and movies tell us that rainwater in the apocalypse will contaminate clean water sources. Though I don't know if it's true, I made preparations just in case.

Logically, we shouldn't be drinking tap water since the outbreak began, but since I don't have bottled water, I'll have to boil it several times and drink it carefully.

On the 16th day of quarantine, the water supply stopped.

Is it really happening? Water contamination? Poisoning?

My mind raced to unspeakable places, maybe due to the lack of human interaction. My imagination has gone wild, and I can even create touching stories about two different-colored towels.

Commonly known as going stir-crazy.

On the 18th day of quarantine, the water supply resumed.

I've decided to wait before using it. I still have some stored water left, so I'll use that first and see if the new water is safe after filtering.

On the 28th day of quarantine, someone came to my door.

Although I've been eating sparingly, I finished the last of the leafy greens a few days ago. Now, only long-lasting potatoes and frozen tomatoes are left. I imagine others are in a similar situation.

That day, I took some previously boiled potatoes from the fridge, planning to dip them in

soy sauce for a simple dinner.

Just as I took a few bites, I heard unusual sounds outside the door.

It sounded like someone was scraping metal. In such a quiet environment, any small noise is amplified.

I cautiously approached the wall display and saw someone outside trying to open my security door.

An older man was standing guard while a younger one fiddled with the lock. They were clearly attempting to break in.

My home had been targeted.

Seeing this, my heart skipped a beat, then I felt an uncontrollable trembling all over.

They're already daring to break in during quarantine. If it were truly the apocalypse, who knows what they would do?

Especially shocking was that one of them was the 60-something-year-old neighbor from across the hallway.

Frustrated with the lock, the younger man grew impatient:

"Old Qiao, are you sure no one’s home?"

"Positive. I've watched for a long time. No lights, no one came out for supplies. Definitely no one home."

Seeing Old Qiao's certainty, I felt a wave of relief. Good thing I was cautious. If they knew I was alone, it would be truly dangerous!

"Stop fiddling with the wire. Just get the bolt cutters; it's quicker."

The younger man dropped the wire and headed downstairs, likely to fetch tools.

Old Qiao went home briefly and returned with a screwdriver in hand.

I cursed them silently for having so many tools. They were determined to get in. I wondered if my preparations would scare them off.

Soon, the younger man returned with big, heavy bolt cutters. If things got physical, I wasn't sure my fire axe could match him.

They were gauging where to start cutting, and my hand hovered over the screen.

Just as they began, a piercing alarm sounded in the hallway:

[Alert!! Alert!! Unauthorized intrusion detected!! Alert!!! Alert!!! Unauthorized intrusion detected!!]

The blaring alarm grew louder and echoed through the quiet hallway!

"Damn it! Ouch!!"

The sudden alarm startled the younger man, making him drop the cutters, which landed painfully on his foot.

Old Qiao bolted back to his apartment instantly, slamming his door shut, drowning out the yelps.

"Damn it, I'll smash your door!"

The younger man kicked my door in frustration.

[Alert!! Alert!! Uploading intruder images, preparing to alert authorities!!]

Hearing the threat of uploading and alerting authorities, the arrogant young man fled as fast as he could, leaving behind his tools.

Seeing them gone, I finally exhaled, closed the alarm, and calmed myself down.

Thankfully, they didn’t know much about electronics. If it had been a younger person, they might have not been so easily fooled.

Since the internet went down, even automatic alarms and video recordings failed. My good purchase of an offline-capable visual intercom proved useful. Otherwise, it would have been difficult.

From now on, I'll need to be even more careful.